May Angels Lead You In
by ILoveTheCubs
Summary: Jake and Jenny Jagielski return to Tree Hill 6 months after the end of S4, impacting the lives of many Tree Hill residents.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first attempt at a fanfic in the OTH fandom. Reviews and comments are appreciated!

Chapter 1

He sat on the couch in the living room of his childhood home, a place that should have felt comforting and familiar and felt nothing but fear. Jake Jagielski was no stranger to fear. When he thought back over the last three years of his life fear was the most dominant emotion. Fear when he remembered Nikki telling him she was pregnant. Fear when he'd first looked at Jenny, first held her. Fear when Nikki left him and Jenny behind. Fear when he'd taken Jenny to Karen's café to introduce her to the world. Fear when Nikki had come back to Tree Hill demanding to be part of Jenny's life. Fear when he'd left his hometown and family behind to go to Savannah. Fear when he came back and found Peyton with a drug dealer. Fear when Nikki had taken Jenny and disappeared. Fear when he'd heard Peyton had been shot. Fear when Nikki had left Jenny behind again. Fear that she might come back again.

But none of that compared to this fear. His Jenny was sick, and she might not get better. This fear brought an unparalleled helplessness and desperation. He had never been this scared over anything, not even when Nikki had taken Jenny and run off. Because then Jenny had been ok, and he could focus on finding her, and making everything ok with her. He couldn't do that for her this time, this was out of his hands.

He had brought Jenny back to Tree Hill. He had brought her home. He had believed that he and Jenny could get through anything together, but now he knew that was wrong. They needed their family. She needed her grandparents, and he needed his parents.

He looked down at the little girl sleeping in his arms. She was an angel, even in her terrible twos. He kissed the top of her head gently. He loved Jenny more than he'd ever known it was possible to love someone else. He'd loved her that much from the very first second he laid his eyes on her. She was a miracle, he hadn't thought he was ready for, wasn't sure he deserved. And he felt like she was slipping away.

"How's Daddy's big girl?" He asked her quietly after she'd been awake for a few minutes. She was still in his her arms, her head resting on his shoulder. He'd always liked to keep her close. But since her diagnosis, he was hesitant to put her down unless he had to. "How about that ice cream I promised you?"

"Hey Karen." He said quietly as he entered her café. He didn't want to draw unnecessary attention to himself. He had made the walk from his house to the café without being noticed. He knew that he wouldn't be able to stay anonymous in Tree Hill for very long. The old crowd of friends that he had been close with all still lived in or near town. Tree Hill was small, he wouldn't be able to avoid them for long, especially at places like Karen's Café. But his own discomfort didn't matter when it came to Jenny and what was best for her. It never had.

"Jake!" She came around the counter and hugged him. "I had no idea you were back in town. Let me look at this angel." She stepped back to look at Jenny. "She's beautiful Jake."

He smiled. Karen had always been good to him and to Jenny. She'd given him a job, and had understood the demands being a single parent placed on him and his time, and helped him out by letting him bring Jenny with him. "Thanks. I think she's the most gorgeous perfect two year old on the face of the planet, but I'm just a little biased."

"Just a little." She agreed laughing. "What can I get you?" She asked him as she retreated back behind the counter to take their order.

"I promised Jenny some ice cream." He sat on a bar stool with Jenny on his lap. "Can you help us out with that?"

"Absolutely, chocolate ok Jenny?" She quickly scooped the ice cream into a dish and placed it in front of them with extra napkins.

"Say thank you." Jake told her, as he turned one of the napkins into a make shift bib in an effort to preserve her light purple t-shirt.

"Tank you." She said quietly, and dug into her ice cream.

"I heard about Keith." Jake said quietly. "I'm sorry. He was a really good man."

She smiled wistfully. "He was. Would you like to see a picture of the most beautiful perfect six month old baby girl ever?" She asked changing the subject, the smile on her face growing. She grabbed the picture of her daughter that sat by the cash register "This is Lily Rose Scott."

"She is gorgeous." Jake agreed, his mind going back to another night in Karen's café, and another six month old baby girl. This is where he'd brought Jenny to introduce her to the world.

"Everything ok, Jake?" She asked him concerned. She'd watched as he'd gotten lost in his own thoughts. And noticed that he looked a little haggard, more than he should.

He looked down at Jenny, and wiped some of the ice cream off her face, and then shifted his gaze back up to Karen. She was looking at him worriedly. He wasn't sure what to tell her. She'd always been there for him and Jenny before, and he knew that she and everyone else would know sooner or later what was going on. "Not really." He said finally shaking his head. "Jenny's sick." He had to push the words out. It was the first time he'd said those words to someone not in his family. He'd first told his cousins in Savannah and then his parents. "Its why we're back in Tree Hill. So that Jenny can receive treatment here, and we can be with my parents. She has cancer."

"I'm so sorry Jake." Having a sick child was every parent's worst nightmare. She could only imagine how hard this must be for him. It seemed as if Jake was constantly worried about losing Jenny first to Nikki and now to illness. She took his hand squeezed it tightly. "If you need anything." She told him. "Anything. You ask alright? I'll do anything I can to help you."

He shook his head. "I might have to take you up on that. I think Jenny and I are going to need all the help that we can get."

"Jake Jagielski?" Brooke asked curiously as she approached. "Never thought I'd see you in this town again." She kissed his cheek in welcoming and sat down next to him.

"I'll let you two catch up. Coffee Brooke?" Karen asked already reaching for a mug and the pot of coffee.

"I'm surprised to see you still in Tree Hill. Shouldn't a fashionista like yourself be in New York or L.A or Paris or something?" He and Brooke had never been exceptionally close. But he'd always figured she'd bolt from Tree Hill first chance she got.

She just shrugged and accepted the coffee from Karen. "Tree Hill is home. I can design my Clothes Over Bros line here and take classes." She had gone to Los Angeles for the summer. It had been fun, and she'd learned a lot, even thought about staying. But Tree Hill was home, and she wasn't ready to let go of that and strike out on her own yet. "What are you doing here?" She seriously had never believed that Jake would come back to Tree Hill. From everything she'd understood Jake had made a life for himself and Jenny in Savannah.

He sighed and looked down at Jenny. He couldn't help but smile and wonder how much of the ice cream she was actually getting in her mouth. "I'm here for Jenny. She's sick, so I decided it was time to come home, so she could get treatment."

"Wow." She took a sip of her coffee to give herself a moment. "Its that serious?" He just shook his head. "Wow." She repeated. "I don't know what to say. I'm really sorry. Let me know if you need anything." She looked at the little girl on his lap. She couldn't imagine someone so little and innocent being so sick. "Where's Nikki?" She asked rolling her eyes in disgust. "She didn't poison sweet Jenny with her bitchiness did she?"

"Nikki left again, shortly after a judge in Savannah gave us joint custody actually." He had been willing to try to make the arrangement work, and he'd actually thought that Nikki had too. This time though when she'd come to him and told him she was leaving, he made sure she signed a paper relinquishing her rights to Jenny. His daughter wasn't going to have a mother who came and went from her life when it suited her. She deserved better than that. And he couldn't take watching over his shoulder in case Nikki swooped in for Jenny again.

"I can't believe that bitch wrecked everyone's life and then walked out on Jenny again. Actually, I can." Brooke corrected herself.

"Little ears Brooke, little ears." Jake reminded her.

"Sorry." She grumbled. "Want me to distract you with Tree Hill news and gossip?" She asked immediately perking up.

He wasn't sure if he did or he didn't, but he needed the distraction. "Sure." He shrugged in defeat. "Done with that Jenny?" He pushed the dish out of her way, and dipped a couple of napkins in water to wash off her sticky face and hands. "Let me hear it." He told Brooke, turning to fully face her, a now mostly clean Jenny still on his lap.

"Nathan and Haley have a baby. She went into a labor on graduation day, same day that Karen had Lily. Haley had a boy, James Lucas Scott. I'm his G-dmother. He's a pretty handsome kid. For the future well-being of Tree Hill we're all hoping that he ends up with Nathan's looks and Haley's brain and personality."

Jake just laughed and shook his head. "Whoever would have thought that the two who got married at sixteen would end up being Tree Hill's most stable family." They were still young, and anything could happen, but he had a feeling they'd be ok.

"They're happy." Marriage seemed right for them. She couldn't imagine either of them with other people. "Skills and Bevin are together. Mouth is well.. Mouth. Dan is in jail, he killed Keith. Nobody's gone to see him. Deb is still a little loopy, but things are getting better. Nathan and Haley even let her babysit. I have a boyfriend Chase, he's a pretty great guy. Whitey left Tree Hill High to be a big-time college coach." She chattered away idly trying to mention anyone he might have known and be interested in hearing about.

When she finally stopped it wasn't lost on him that she hadn't mentioned either Peyton or Luke. Deep down he knew what that meant. "How are Peyton and Luke?" He made himself ask anyway, just in case he was wrong.

She sighed deeply. She'd moved on with Chase, and had managed to be friends with Peyton and Luke, but sometimes it still hurt. "She's with Luke, they say they're happy."

Jake just shook his head, he'd been expecting that, but hearing it still felt like a quick hard punch in the gut. "Is she happy?"

Brooke sighed again and thought about the question. "I'm not sure Peyton's ever really happy. She likes the tragedy and the doom and gloom, but then so does he. So I guess yeah they're as happy as they can be together."

"I've always wanted her to be happy." He turned his attention to Jenny who was starting to fuss. He reached into his pockets for his keys, she took them from him and immediately calmed as she shook and rattled the keys.

"Well then you're a better person than I am, because I wanted them to suffer for a long time." She'd loved them both, and their betrayal had ran deep. She wasn't sure she was completely over it, even if she'd managed to get past enough to be friends with both of them.

He shook his head in confusion, the news that she was with Lucky shouldn't have impacted him this much, he'd known it would happen. "I don't know why I'm so shocked she's with him." He finally told Brooke. "I told her to follow her heart back here to see what she had with him, I guess I just always thought it'd lead her back to me and Jenny." He had thought that he and Peyton had found a love that was real and true and that would overcome time and distance.

She put her hand on his arm comfortingly. "You loved her enough to let her go Jake, that says something."

"That I'm an idiot?" He suggested bitterness seeping into his voice. Maybe he should have fought for her that night in Savannah. Told her to stay, instead of letting her go back to Tree Hill.

"That you loved her enough to let her go and try to be happy. And you know its not our faults that they're too stupid to realize how fabulous we are and how lucky they were to have us." She hoped to make him laugh, and change the mood into something a little more lighthearted.

He did laugh, and stood up and gathered Jenny in her arms. "Thanks Brooke." He dropped a quick kiss on her cheek. "I need to get going, its getting late, and I should get Jenny back to my parents house. I'm glad I ran into you."

She wrapped her arms around him and Jenny. "Let me know if you need anything Jake. I know people think I'm all about myself all the time, but."

"I know you're a good friend, Brooke. I'll let you know."

"Promise." She held his gaze and gave him her most intimidating look.

"I promise." He told her and then left the café.

She watched him leave and then sat back down with her coffee and closed her eyes and wondered how much Jake's presence would shake the relative calm that had settled over Tree Hill in recent months.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the kind words on the first chapter. I'm not completely sure which direction its going pairing wise. Jeyton is my all-time favorite OTH couple, but lately Peyton as a character has been frustrating. So I'm trying to figure out what works best, and what people like best, and what feels right to me. I hope you like this chapter, its short, next chapter should be longer. Carrie

"Tutor-Mom!" Brooke called out as she entered Nathan and Haley's apartment. "Tutor-Mom, I need to talk to you." She called out again when Haley didn't immediately appear. She needed to tell someone about Jake's return to Tree Hill.

"Sshhh." Haley hissed as she came into the living room. "James is asleep finally." She glanced at her watch wondering how much time had passed without her realizing. She frowned. "You're early, you're never early."

Brooke sighed dramatically and flopped down onto the couch. "I need to talk to you before Peyton gets here."

Haley groaned and lowered herself tiredly onto the couch. "Do I even want to know what's going on?" She knew that things had been too quiet in Tree Hill lately.

"Jake Jagielski's back in town." Brooke told her, and waited for Haley's reaction. When Haley was quiet, she pressed. "I saw him and Jenny at the café."

"Ok." She wasn't quite sure what Brooke was getting at, what the big drama was.

"Are you being dense on purpose? Jake is back in town, Jake and Peyton had a very intense thing. Peyton is with Luke right now." She connected the dots for Haley.

Haley leaned back and rested her head on the back of the couch. "I really didn't' see Jake and Peyton together." She had been in New York when Jake had returned from Savannah the first time. "But you know Peyton and Luke are pretty solid. Do you really think that Jake being back in town can mess that up?" Luke and Peyton had gone through a lot to finally be together, and they seemed happy. It was what they both said they'd always wanted.

"Peyton really loved Jake. She was lost without him for a long time. And she loves Jenny…And Jenny's really sick Haley, its why Jake's back here." Brooke lowered her voice to a whisper.

"Oh my G-d that's horrible." She immediately looked towards the room where her little boy lay sleeping. She couldn't imagine what she would do if anything bad ever happened to him. "Is she going to be ok?"

"I don't know, I don't think Jake does. He really didn't go into a lot of details, and I didn't press. Jenny looked ok, I guess." She really didn't know what a sick baby would look like.

"Wow." She murmured. "I just, I can't even imagine. Poor Jake. Hold on." She got up and went in to quietly peek on her son. Just to reassure herself that he was healthy and perfect. "Ok." She said when she returned to her spot next to Brooke on the couch.

"Do I tell Peyton?" She asked Haley quietly, unsure of what she should do.

Haley sighed. "It's a small town. And if you ran into Jake, chances are Peyton will too. I think she'd be hurt if she knew that you knew Jake was back and didn't tell her." Jake being in Tree Hill didn't have much of a chance at staying a secret.

"So I tell her." She had known deep down that telling Peyton was probably the best move, but she'd needed to hear someone else say it too.

"Tell who what?" Peyton asked from the doorway. She had stopped at the video store on her way to Haley's. She was in charge of choosing the DVDs for their girls night. She'd picked up a couple of chick flicks for Brooke and Haley and an indie film for herself.

"Umm." Brooke looked to Haley for help. Haley just shrugged and gave her a look that clearly said 'just tell her.'

"Brooke?" Peyton questioned as she closed the door and came further into the apartment.

"Jake's back." She blurted it out.

Peyton's eyes widened in shock and she actually took a step backwards. "You saw him?" Brooke shook her head yes. "How did he look?" She asked quietly. She never believed that Jake would return to Tree Hill. She closed her eyes as images of Jake filled her head.

"He looked…you know..good…tired." Brooke struggled to answer, not sure what Peyton was looking for in terms of answered. Peyton looked shell-shocked.

"Did he have Jenny with him?" She needed to know about the little girl she loved and missed with all her heart. She watched as Brooke and Haley looked at each other and then looked anywhere but at her. "What?" She asked fear immediately overtaking her.

"Maybe you should sit down." Haley suggested gently.

She shook her head no, and stayed where she was. "What's wrong with Jenny?" She whispered.

"She's…she's sick, Peyton, that's why Jake came back here." She moved to hug Peyton, knowing how much the news would hurt her.

"No." She whispered through tears that were already threatening to fall. "What?" What was Jenny up against, she wondered desperately.

"I don't know, you'd have to ask Jake." Brooke held her tighter

Peyton pulled back and wiped her cheeks quickly. "I have to go." She handed the movies to Brooke and left without another word.

"Peyton!" Brooke called after her, but she didn't respond or turn around. "That went well." She said sarcastically to Haley as she flopped back down on the couch.

"You did the right thing Brooke." Haley told her hugging her tightly. "It'll all be ok." Everything would work out the way it was supposed to. It always did.

The short drive to Jake's house was a blur. All she could tangibly remember was leaving Haley's house and knowing that she had to go to him. She knocked on the door and waited for him to answer.

He answered the door quickly before the person could knock again and maybe wake Jenny up. Before his mind could even comprehend what was going on or he could react, she was in his arms holding him tightly. "Peyton?" He should have expected her, should have known that Brooke would tell her. He brought his arms around her hesitantly.

"She's going to be ok, right?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"She has to be." Was all Jake could say. She had to be, because Jenny was his whole life, without her what did he have?


	3. Chapter 3

-1I'm trying really hard to be fair to Peyton and to Luke, but its hard, because they bother me to no end when they're together, and both characters become unlikable for me when they're a couple. But I'm trying hard to keep my bias out of it, and to write a fair and balanced story. Hope that you enjoy this chapter, Carrie

Peyton and Jake had pulled apart a few minutes ago, and were now standing silent a good distance between them. Peyton didn't know how to react or how to feel as she looked at Jake. He was everything she remembered, and then some. "Were you going to tell me?" She broke the silence first, unable to stand it anymore. "Were you going to tell me that you were back that she's sick?"

He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans awkwardly. He wanted to tear his gaze away from her. He didn't want to see the hurt, anger, and despair on her face. But he couldn't look away. Because he'd missed being able to look at her, he'd missed her. "It wasn't a secret." He said quietly. He had known when he'd made the choice to come back that there was very little chance that this could stay quiet more than a couple days.

"Yes, but were you going to tell me?" She asked her voice raising, as she pointed at herself. "Were you going to call me or come to me and tell me that you were back and that Jenny was sick?" How could he go the café and see Karen and confide in Brooke and not tell her first.

"No." It was spoken barely above a whisper, and he finally did tear his eyes away from her tearstained face.

"You didn't think that I'd want to know that Jenny was sick; sick enough for you to bring her back to Tree Hill?" She asked him filled with hurt and incredulity. How could he doubt her love for Jenny.

"This isn't about you Peyton. Its about Jenny. I didn't come here and say 'ok, I'll tell Karen, Brooke, Haley and Nate, but not tell Peyton or Luke.' It wasn't like that. I didn't plan on seeking anyone out and telling them, because I'm not here to socialize with all my old friends, I'm here so that Jenny can get treatment for cancer." He saw her visibly flinch at the word cancer. It wasn't his plan to deliberately not tell Peyton. If he had seen her at The Café that afternoon he would have told her, he would have told her whenever he'd run into her. "And you know, how would I know what you feel for Jenny anymore."

"You know that I love Jenny with all my heart." She whispered stricken. He knew how much she loved Jenny, how could he think otherwise. How could Jenny, beautiful sweet Jenny have something so horrible as cancer. Hadn't Jenny been through enough drama in her brief time on earth. She'd watched, seen briefly in the end how cancer had ravaged and finally taken Ellie from her, she didn't know if she had it in her to watch it attack Jenny too.

He shook his head tiredly. "How am I supposed to know that? By all the emails and phone calls asking how she is, checking in on her. By all the cards and drawings you've sent her? You haven't made one attempt to see how Jenny was since you left Savannah"

"You weren't real great at keeping in touch the first two times you left either, Jake." She shot back at him angrily.

"I was busy trying to protect my daughter from her crazy irresponsible mother. And I didn't want to make things harder on either of us, since I didn't know if I would ever get back here to see you again." Each time a clean break had seemed like the best and least cruel choice for both of them.

"And you didn't think calling and emailing you would be awkward for me after I left you for Lucas? Awkward for you? Awkward for Lucas, for me to stay in touch with you?" Her voice was quiet now, the anger that had caused her yelling dissipating as her thoughts returned to the little girl who was undoubtedly sleeping somewhere in this house.

He wanted to tell her that he didn't give a damn about what made Lucas feel awkward or uncomfortable. "It probably would have been." He acknowledged. "You don't think its hard for me to be back here knowing that I'm going to see you with someone else. Someone I considered a friend. Its hard as hell, and it hurts more than It thought it would. But my pain, my discomfort doesn't matter when it comes to Jenny. I never would have denied you access to Jenny because it was uncomfortable for me, because I knew she was to you, and how important you were to her."

She crossed her arms over her chest protectively. She shook her head. "What do the doctors say?" She wanted, needed more information about Jenny's condition.

"They caught it fairly early." He had noticed sings that something was off with Jenny. She'd been tired and sleeping more than usual, she bruised too easily. He'd been worried, and taken her to the doctor when he realized whatever was going on with his baby girl wasn't going away. "But she's got a long road ahead of her, and its not going to be easy."

"Jake" She questioned her voice shaking. Was there something he wasn't telling her? She watched with growing panic as his shoulders started to heave, and tears shone in his eyes. "Jake?" She called his name again, and moved closer to him, close enough to reach out and touch him.

"How am I supposed to do this, Peyton?" He whispered through his tears. It was the first time that he had cried since the night he'd gotten Jenny's initial diagnosis. He'd been trying so hard to keep it all together, keep the doubts and fear at bay, and just be strong for Jenny. "How am I suppose to watch her suffer so badly, and hurt so much, and not be able to do anything to make it better?"

"She knows that you love her, Jake. You have always been an amazing father. I knew that about you before I even really knew you." She further closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him again, letting him sob against her shoulder as she gently stroked his hair.

"I'm supposed to be able to protect her. I'm supposed to be able to fix things for her. I can't fix this, I can't protect her from this. I feel like I'm failing my little girl."

"Don't say that." She whispered fiercely. "You've never failed Jenny, and you never will. We both know that you would take this from her if you could." She pulled back form him and placed her hands on either side of his face and waited for his eyes to meet hers. "Its not your fault that she's sick Jake."

He pulled away and fought to regain some semblance of control. He roughly wiped the tears on his cheeks away. "In my head I know that. But in my heart…She's my baby and she's sick and in pain."

"I know. I'd change this if I could." She looked at him her own cheeks damp with tears. "I wish that I could change this, and I know that I can't. But I can be here with you, and with Jenny. And we can get her through this." She pleaded with him to let her back into their lives; to let her be there for them. "Please let me be here for Jenny, and for you."

He couldn't say no to her, couldn't take her away from Jenny, when Jenny needed her most. He just shook his head in agreement. "Ok." He whispered.

"Hey Wife." Nathan said grinning as he and Luke entered the apartment after practice. They were preparing hard for the opening of the college basketball season. It was a fresh start for both of them basketball wise. Nathan as a player and Luke as a coach. "Brooke." He acknowledged. "The little man asleep?"

Haley walked over and greeted him with a quick kiss, and a smile of her own. "Yup, just changed him and put him back down. How was practice?"

"Brutal." He dropped his bag in the corner, and pulled Haley close to him, before going to peek in on his sleeping son. "How was the girls night?" He asked as he returned.

"Speaking of girl's night, where's Peyton?" Luke asked looking around the apartment confused. Peyton had told him that she planned to spend the night watching movies with Brooke and Haley. They'd planned to meet up here after practice and go back to her place, but she clearly wasn't here.

"Ummm…" Haley and Brooke exchanged looks.

"Well you know, not here." Brooke answered, as she whispered to Haley to come up with something better or tell him the truth.

"Clearly." Luke told her, watching the two girls suspiciously.

"You tell him." Haley whispered back, ignoring the looks they were getting from both Luke and Nate.

"Oh no." Brooke exclaimed forgetting to whisper. "He's your best friend since like forever, you tell him Peyton went to see Jake."

"I don't have too." Haley said shaking her head. That was not the way to diffuse the situation.

"Shit." Brooke muttered under breath realizing too late what she'd said. "Shit. That didn't come out right."

"So Peyton didn't go to Savannah?" Luke asked confused, something was definitely going on, he just wasn't sure what.

"I never said she went to Savannah, I said she went to see Jake."

"Brooke." Haley shot her a warning look. "Stop talking." She pleaded, she could see this situation getting out of hand rather rapidly.

"One of you really needs to explain to me what's going on." Luke demanded, directing his attention mainly on Haley."

"Well you see." Haley started and gave a nervous laugh. "She didn't exactly to Jake's because of Jake, she went because of Jenny."

"That's the best you could do?" Brooke asked her raising an eyebrow. "I could have explained it better than that."

"Hales, Jake and Jenny are sort of a packaged deal." Nathan reminded her.

"You're not helping either." She shot her husband a dirty look too.

"I have to go." Luke told them, he wanted answers, and it was pretty clear he wasn't going to get them.

"No." Haley lunged and grabbed his arm. "You haven't even seen your nephew yet." She literally drug him into the baby's room.

"Haley." He hissed in a whisper aware that James was sleeping. He glanced over at his sleeping nephew and smiled briefly.

"Do not go over there." She whispered back anxiously. "It will not help anything." She warned him pleadingly.

"I want to know what's going on." Peyton was his girlfriend, he had a right to know what was going on.

She sighed and closed her eyes briefly, searching for the words she needed to make him see reason. "Trust that Peyton will tell you everything you want to know when she sees you. She's probably waiting for you at her place now."

Luke searched her face for a hint. "You know what's going on, don't you?" He accused hurt. She was his best friend, why would she keep something that affected him and his relationship with Peyton to herself.

She shook her head. "I don't know the whole story." She assured him. "Just remember Luke, Peyton left Jake for you. She chose you and she loves you, and you guys are good right now, solid." She hoped that if she could remind him that he'd keep his head, and not go all dark and broody. "Just go to her house and wait for her."

"You said she was already there."

"She probably already is." Haley said exasperated, hoping that he didn't go confront Jake. Hoping that if he did, he didn't find Peyton still there.

"Fine." He said defeated. "Fine." He repeated when she didn't look convinced. He softened and pulled her into a hug. "Sorry I was a jerk, Hales. Kiss my nephew for me, ok?" He kissed her cheek, and left her standing there.

She closed her eyes and sighed when she heard the door closed. She had a bad feeling that before everything was said and done, somebody was going to hurt, it was practically unavoidable.


	4. Chapter 4

This is a really short chapter, a little shorter than I thought. But I decided that the Leyton discussion deserved to stand on its own. I tried to be fair and reasonable to Luke, even though he's not my favorite, and I hope I succeeded.

"Lucas?" She blinked when she turned on the light to her bedroom and found him sitting on her bed. Then it dawned on her, she was supposed to meet him at Nathan and Haley's.

"How's Jake?" He couldn't keep the hint of bitterness out of his voice. He'd been waiting for her to show up for hours.

She gave him a look over her shoulder as she went to her dresser for a tank top and shorts. "Not good." She finally answered. She went into her bathroom to change into her pajamas.

"And you were the only person he could talk to?" He had moved from her bed and was standing in the middle of her room when she returned from the bathroom.

She settled her narrowed gaze on him, and then sighed warily, she didn't have it in her to do this with him. "I don't want to fight with you."

"You can't honestly expect me to be ok with the fact that you spent most of the night with your ex-boyfriend." He asked her incredulously.

"Jake is my friend, Lucas." A friend who needed her dearly, a friend that she'd let down in the past. Maybe if she hadn't taken her eye off Jenny that day years ago in the mall, Nikki never would have grabbed her, and maybe Jake wouldn't have had to run. Who knew how much things might have turned out differently.

"A friend who you dated, a friend who you thought you were in love with, a friend who you followed to Savannah." Why couldn't she see why this would bother him, make him angry.

"I left Jake and Jenny behind to come back here for you. I gave up everything I had and could of had with Jake on the chance that you might want to be with me instead of Brooke." She'd gone to Savannah, to Jake and Jenny, proposed marriage to him, and then walked away.

"What was so important that you had to go running to Jake the moment you heard he was in town?" All he wanted was to know why she'd gone to see him. He just wanted to know what was going on.

"You know Luke, I don't question you every time you spend time with Brooke, even though I see the way you still look at her sometimes. I went to see Jake because Jenny might be dying. She has cancer." She was yelling when she finished, and tears had started to fall again. She still couldn't believe that cancer was threatening Jenny.

"I'm sorry." He whispered instantly horrified. He knew how much Peyton loved Jake's little girl. "Is she going to be ok?"

"The doctors told Jake they caught it early. So that's good, but she's so little, and she's going to have such a fight on her hands." She was going to need Peyton to help her get through this, and Peyton intended on being there for her.

"Do they need anything?" Luke asked her. Jake had been his friend, and Jenny was an innocent baby. He wouldn't wish this on either of them.

She wiped at her cheeks. "Just our support and our prayers." In her eyes it was the biggest thing they could give to them.

He nodded his head, and watched Peyton carefully. He could practically see what she was thinking. He knew what plans she was making in her head. "Peyton." He said carefully, not wanting to upset her anymore. "You're not Jake's girlfriend anymore, its not your place to just jump back into his and Jenny's life, and…"

"Did you not hear me tell you that Jenny could be dying?" She interrupted him angrily. "Jake is supposed to be your friend, how can you expect him to go through this alone?"

"I don't." He responded, finally yelling back at her. "I don't expect him to go through this alone. But that doesn't mean that its your place to just fall back into his life and be a mother to Jenny again; to sacrifice your own life and happiness to help them, like you did before." Peyton had risked a lot to help Jake leave Tree Hill the first time, and when he'd returned they'd become an instant family unit, just to watch Jake leave again.

She looked at him for a moment in shocked silence. "I love Jenny like she is my own child, and I walked away from her for you, and I didn't look back because I thought it would hurt you. I essentially promised to be her mother, and then I failed her. I failed her Lucas."

"You're not her mother." He reminded her quietly.

"Not biologically, but for awhile I was her mother in every other way. She needs me, she needs me now maybe more than she's ever needed me, and I am not going to walk away from her again." She was going to make everything up to Jenny. She wasn't going to let her down again.

Lucas sighed and ran his hands over his face warily, he knew that he was fighting a losing battle. He kept repeating Haley's words from earlier to himself. _She chose you and she loves you, and you guys are good right now, solid. _Peyton chose him, and he'd chosen her. They'd gone through too much to get to this point to just let it slip away. This isn't about Jake, he told himself, its about Jenny. She could love and support Jenny without getting drawn back to Jake. "Jenny needs you." He said aloud. "I understand that."

"Good." She moved into his arms and held him close. "Good, because I don't want to fight with you. I chose you, Luke." She added in a whisper, because she thought he needed to hear it again.


End file.
